


Silicon

by zorac



Series: Chemistry [10]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22282606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zorac/pseuds/zorac
Summary: In what world could Chloe Price have ever failed to get the last word?Such a place does not exist.Even after she’s left it.Follows on fromLead.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Victoria Chase
Series: Chemistry [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/820581
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	Silicon

###### Victoria

The Sunday after Chloe’s funeral, I ran into Kate outside my room. “Hi, Victoria, I was looking for you. How are you doing?”

“Just as shitty as the last time you asked,” I told her, but without any rancor.

“Me too,” she said with a sympathetic nod, surprising me a little. “I keep hoping that I’ll wake up in the morning without a gaping hole in my chest, or to move on to the next stage of grief, or… _something_.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” On impulse, I step forward, and give her a hug. Kate squeezes me tightly, and for a few long seconds we simply hold on to each other. “So, you were looking for me?”

“Oh, right. I have something for you.” She pulled what looked like a flash drive out of the pocket of her jacket. “Chloe asked me to deliver these a few days after… well, here you are.”

She handed it over, and I could see that it was labelled ‘For ~~Icky~~ Vicky,’ and I couldn’t help but smile. “I guess she told you what to write on it, too.”

“Yes, she did, right down to the crossing out. I haven’t watched mine yet, but I’m hoping that seeing her again will help, at least a little.”

“That would be nice,” I admitted.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. If you need someone to talk to afterwards – or any other time – you know where to find me.”

“Thanks Kate.”

She went to knock on Max’s door, and I retreated back to my own room. I assumed that Chloe had intended for us to watch these messages by ourselves, or she’d have sent us a joint one. Plugging the flash drive into my laptop, I saw that it contained just one file: `Victoria.avi`. I double-clicked on it, and a video window opened up.

“Greetings, Victoria Chase,” said a deep voice, “this is Chloe Price, here to haunt you from beyond the grave.” I snorted out a laugh at her silliness.

“Made you laugh!” Chloe said, and I froze for a moment. “Well, at least I hope so. I hope that you’re still able to laugh, because I love hearing you laugh and, well, if Kate’s given you this then I’m six feet under right now. I can only imagine how painful that is for you. I cried over Bongo for weeks, and he was a cat, not a girlfriend. I don’t like the idea of you crying over me because, well, there’s no polite way to put this, but you’re not one of those lucky women who still looks beautiful when she’s crying.”

I had some choice expletives for that, no matter how true it might be.

“Rude!” Chloe said, admonishingly. I was slightly disturbed at how well she knew me. “Seriously, though, that’s pretty much the only time that you’re not so beautiful it hurts.” I could feel the first tears pricking at the corners of my eyes; I was surprised it had taken that long. “It’s one of the reasons I love you, of course, but certainly not the biggest.”

She looked pensive for a moment. “Do you remember Steph Gingrich? She would have been the year above you at Blackwell, and she was one of the only people who stayed in touch with me after the accident. She used to tell me stories about this Mean Girl she went to school with – and, yes, that’s the reason I’m going to get Kate to write ‘Icky Vicky’ on your label. It wasn’t until Max mentioned your surname that I finally made the connection, because it didn’t occur to me that the kind, fun, sweet woman I’d come to know could be the same person Steph had described.”

“That’s the biggest reason I love you. The fact that you changed yourself so dramatically; for Max, for Kate, and for me.” She got a thoughtful expression. “And… I guess for yourself, as well. Huh. I never really thought about it that way before. I got to be a part of your journey to self-actualization, even if it’s Max who gets to claim more of the credit. That’s pretty cool.”

“Anyway, I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me since we first met, as my friend and lover. You’ve helped to make the last few months immeasurably better, bringing me happiness after I’d lost all hope. I know that right now you must be paying a heavy price for that, and I am so, _so_ sorry. I can only hope that it was worth it.”

“It was, Chloe,” I whispered, “more than you’ll ever know.”

“Anyway, I guess I don’t have to tell you to look after our girlfriend, because I know you’re going to do it anyway. Not necessarily forever – I have no illusions about the odds of a high school romance surviving the two of you going away to college – but you have the rest of your time at Blackwell to take care of each other.”

“I’m also going to ask you to keep an eye on Kate. She’s going to downplay her grief compared to yours and Max’s, and I’m going to be trusting you to call her on that. I have a feeling that she’s going to need you two more than she admits, least of all to herself. I hope that you’ll… be able to give her what she wants.”

“Above all, please know that I love you more that I can say, and that leaving the people I care about behind is by far the hardest part of this. All I can do is hope that Kate’s faith isn’t misplaced, and that some day we’ll all see each other again. I won’t, then, say goodbye, but instead _au revoir, ma cherie_.”

I reached out to touch the screen just as it went blank, tears sliding down my face.

* * *

###### William

I seriously considered not answering the door when the bell rang. Joyce and I were both tired of all the visitors and their condolences; neighbors we barely knew, relatives we rarely saw, people who we hadn’t heard from since just after Chloe’s accident. Where was their support while she was still alive, when she could have benefited from it? In the end I went, because doing something was better than doing nothing, and allowing my mind to dwell. It was a relief, then, to see a familiar face when I opened the door.

“Morning, William,” Kate said. “I was just on my way home from Church, and I wondered if you two would mind some company.” She didn’t ask how I was doing, Kate knows better than that. Her sympathy and compassion are boundless, but never forced down our throats.

“Come on in, I’ll put the kettle on.” Kate brought a tin of teabags down not long after she first started coming to visit Chloe, and somehow contrives to keep it topped up without either Joyce or I noticing – despite the fact that we occasionally drink it too, now. Joyce was coming downstairs as I let Kate in; they said their hellos and headed through to the back room. With three of us, I dug out the teapot – also brought by Kate – and made our brew in that, then took it through with the milk and a trio of mugs.

Kate always does a good job of keeping the conversation going without dwelling on the one topic that’s hanging over all of us. Almost before I knew it, an hour had passed, and Kate was getting up to head back to school. “One last thing before I go,” she said, and pulled a flash drive out of her bag, setting it on the table in front of us. “Chloe made some video messages before she went into hospital, and left them with me to pass along; this one’s for you two. I hope that it can give you some sort of closure.” Joyce and I just stared at it while Kate quietly let herself out.

It was a couple of hours before we actually felt ready to watch this last message from our daughter, but eventually I fired up my battered old laptop and plugged in the drive. I found the video file, and opened it; Chloe’s face filled the screen.

“Hi Mom, hi Dad,” she said. “If you’re watching this, then I’m finally gone. I’m sorry that you won’t get to watch me grow up and marry the woman of my dreams, or hold your grandchildren, but this isn’t something any of us got a choice in. I just wanted to take this last chance to tell you how much I love you, and to thank you for everything that you’ve done for me. I know that you’ve had to work insane hours, and make all kinds of sacrifices to pay for my medical care, and that you’re going to have to keep doing that for years to come. Not every parent would do that, and I can’t overstate what it means to me.”

She looked away from the camera. “There was a time when I didn’t feel worthy of it, that I was nothing but a burden on you. Not because of anything you said or did, but entirely due to my own insecurities. The first time Max came to see me, I thought, ‘this is my chance.’ One last, wonderful day with my oldest friend, and then drift away on a river of morphine. I wouldn’t be a burden to my parents any more, and they could go back to their lives. What a colossal mistake that would have been.” Joyce’s hand had mine in a death grip under the table.

“Thankfully, I had enough of a guilty conscience to tell Max what I was trying to do, instead of tricking her into giving me a massive overdose. As soon as she realized what I wanted to do, she was having none of it. And, even though we parted in anger, she came back. She brought Victoria into my life, and they showed me that I had something worth living for. And then Kate, who taught me that I’d had two people more than worth living for all along; I’d just been too blind to see it.”

Chloe finally looked back up, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry for ever thinking those things. I know that all the sacrifices you made were to keep your daughter with you as long, and as comfortably as possible; that no price was to great to keep me with you. To think that I almost cut that short… I’ve treasured all the time we’ve spent together; you’ve been the most amazing parents anyone could have asked for, and I love you more than I know how to say.”

There was a long pause, none of us saying anything. Eventually, Chloe sighed, and then continued, “Now that I’m gone, it’s time for you to move on to the next phase of your lives. That means trying not to mourn me for too much longer; I know that’s a hard ask, but I want you to be happy. I want you to be able to spend time together again now that you don’t have to work opposing shifts any more. Have date regular date nights again, take weekend getaways, get your sex life back.” She smirked at that. “I’m sure Victoria would arrange for you to use her family cabin again.”

“Oh, and I feel like I should remind you that the leading cause of bankruptcy in this country is medical debts. I know that you have a mountain of those because of me but, bluntly, there aren’t going to be any more now. And, they’re not your fault, they’re the fault of the broken American healthcare system. You shouldn’t feel any guilt at wiping them clean if you think that’s the best way forward. I’m not saying do it, I’m just saying consider it, because if you’re going to, now’s the time.”

Chloe gave us a crooked grin. “Anyway, that’s enough bad financial advice for one lifetime. I feel like there’s so much more I should say to you, but I seem to have run out of words. All I can do is tell you how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me my entire life, and how very much I love you both. Maybe Kate’s right, and we’ll all see each other again in Heaven. That would be nice, but I hope it’s a long time coming.”

“Bye Mom, bye Dad, love you always.” A moment later, the video ended.

Joyce turned, and buried her head in my shoulder, her tears matching my own. For a long time, we just held each other.

“I miss her, William, I miss her so much,” she said.

“So do I, love, so do I.”

“We should take her advice, though, about trying to be happy.”

“And maybe about other things as well. Our girl was smart.”

“That she was.” Joyce got up, then pulled me after her and towards the door.

“Where are we going?”

“Upstairs.”

* * *

###### Max

I’d just finished getting dressed when the knock at my door came. I opened it just in time to see Victoria’s closing, but ignored that to focus on my visitor. “Hi, Kate.”

“Hello, Max, I just stopped by to deliver you this.” She handed me a flash drive, and I held it up to see ‘For Super-Max’ written on the side in Kate’s neat hand.

“From Chloe?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

Kate nodded. “Yes, she left them with me, and told me when to pass them along.”

“I take it you just gave Victoria hers?” Kate nodded again. “Any idea what’s on them?”

“She just said they would be videos. I’ve not watched mine yet, but I assume they’re some sort of final goodbye.”

“Making sure she got the last word,” I told her, the thought bringing a smile to my face. “Of course, it might also be a compilation of her favorite YouTube videos, just to mess with us.”

“Perhaps,” Kate said. “I guess we’ll find out.”

“Thanks, Kate,” I went to give her a quick hug, but Kate’s embrace was surprisingly strong, and I melted into it, just a little. “Tea date soon, alright?” I told her when we let go.

“I’d like that,” she said, with a strange, sad smile. Kate headed back to her room before I could say anything else. Shaking my head, I closed the door, and went over to plug the drive into my laptop. Sure enough, it contained just a single video file. I stared at it for a moment, then grabbed my laptop and a box of tissues, and went back to bed. Only when I was comfortably curled up under the comforter did I open the message.

“ _Never gonna give you up_ ,” crooned Rick Astley, “ _never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye…_ ”

And then, it smash cut to Chloe wearing an improvised pirate hat; the skull and crossbones drawn on it were clearly Kate’s handiwork. “Ahoy there, Matey Max! If you’re watching this, then it’s my turn to break up our dynamic duo. Of course, just as it wasn’t your choice to desert me, it isn’t my choice to say goodbye, or to make you cry. It’s just a big giant pile of suck for both of us. Well, mostly me, I guess, what with being the one of us who’s dead. Still, I suppose you’re the one who has to live without me, and that’s not going to be much fun either.”

“It really isn’t,” I whispered.

“I often wonder what would have happened between us if your parents hadn’t taken you away. How long it would have taken for one of us to open up about our crush, and where that would have led. I like to think that there’s a parallel universe where we’ve been girlfriends for five years now, and will go on to celebrate our hundredth birthdays together. Actually, quantum mechanics tells us that there are infinitely many universes where that happened. Will happen. Whatever. It’s a comforting thought that, even if I don’t get my happily ever after, somewhere out there there’s a Chloe who will.”

“I hope that you get _your_ happily ever after, whether it’s with Victoria or not. I hope it is but, well, you’ll be off to college next year, so…” She sighs. “Just make each other happy for now, okay? I want to be able to look down and watch you to having lots of awesome sex.”

“Chloe!” I exclaimed, blushing furiously.

“You’re going red right now, aren’t you?” she teased, and I felt my cheeks getting even hotter. “Seriously, though, don’t mourn me for too long. I absolutely insist that you get on with enjoying your life. Have Victoria take you with her on her summer vacation.” Chloe got a wistful look on her face. “I still remember how much I enjoyed our family trip to Paris, it was one of the best times of my life. You should totally go there; see the sights, eat the fancy food, take a gajillion photographs… you know our girlfriend would love it there.”

“And… maybe take Kate with you too, if you can; God knows, she deserves it. I honestly don’t think I would have made it this far without her help, and I’m sure she’s busy looking after you two more than herself right now. She’s going to need you, more than she’ll ever admit – and want you, more than you’d ever expect.”

“Anyway, I think it’s about time for me to say my final farewell. You were my first and greatest love, and it totally fucking sucks that we won’t get to grow old together, like I used to imagine, but you’re going to have to sail the ship without me from here on out. Still, if Kate turns out to be right about an afterlife, then I’ll be waiting for you on the other side. So long, Cap’n Max.”

For some reason, that unexpected promotion was what finally broke me, and the video was long over by the time I had the wherewithal to whisper back, “good-bye, Commodore Chloe.”

* * *

###### Kate

I held up the flash drive, looking at it as if I could divine its contents if I stared hard enough. There was nothing to see, of course, other than the words ‘For Me’ written on the label. I’d already delivered three identical sticks to Max, Victoria, and the Prices. Chloe had me prepare them a couple of days before she went into hospital so, unlike the others, I knew they were coming. One last piece of Chloe, a ‘message from beyond the grave,’ as she’d put it. Sighing, I opened up my laptop and plugged the drive in. After a moment, the icon appeared on my desktop; I clicked on it, and a window appeared containing a single file: `Kate.avi`. After a moment’s hesitation, I opened it and let the video play.

The top of Chloe’s head filled the screen; presumably where she was using her mouth mouse to start the recording. After a couple of seconds, she backed up. “Hi, Kate. If you’re watching this, then I must be dead. Well, unless you’re being a naughty girl and couldn’t wait.” She grinned. “Somehow, I doubt it; that’s why I left these messages with you.” I couldn’t help but smile in return.

“I’ve also left your message until last, because it’s the hardest to know what to say. You’re not my girlfriend or my parent, but I don’t feel like we have any less of a connection. You’ve been my best friend, my counselor, my debate partner… my rock, like Saint Peter was for your church. You’ve guided me through this most difficult part of my life with grace, compassion, and selflessness. I know that you’ve done the same for Max and Victoria – that you almost certainly still are. Knowing that you’ll be taking care of them after I’ve gone makes this a little bit easier.”

“I’m doing my best,” I whispered at the screen.

“Just… don’t forget to take care of yourself, too. Find the time to grieve. Don’t think that I haven’t noticed that you never really dealt with what happened back in October, not fully; you were very adept at smoothly changing the subject whenever I tried to bring it up, so eventually I stopped, and I’m sorry for that. I should have been a better friend and called you on that shit, made you talk about it, like you did with me. Please, Kate, talk to someone about that, and about this. I’m sure one of my girlfriends would be more than happy to help, but I’m equally sure you won’t be comfortable with that. Doesn’t Blackwell have a counselor on staff? Talk to them, maybe, but _please_ talk to _someone_. Promise me.”

I gulped. I knew she was right, but it still seemed too scary to think about. “I promise.” _And I always keep my promises_.

“It’s not good to bottle this stuff up – you taught me that, so you can’t argue with it. Sorry, _debate_ it. Anyway, I hope that you’re right about what comes next, that I’m in a better place right now, and that some day I’ll see you again. I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you with the Big Guy.” I rolled my eyes at her mildly disrespectful tone. “Seriously, though, I admire the strength of your faith. A part of me wishes I could have that too, find some of the peace it gives you, but it’s not something I can force. And thanks for never trying to push it on me; I know that’s not your way, but there are plenty of people who would’ve.”

“One last thing before I go, Kate: I know how you feel about Max and Victoria.” I gulped. “I’ve seen the way you look at them when they’re not watching; it didn’t take long for me to figure out that you were developing a crush. Selfishly, I’m glad that you never did anything about it, because that meant more time with me from all three of you. Now that I’m gone, you don’t have that excuse any more. You know that they’re open to polyamorous relationships – and if they’re willing to have one with someone who’s quadriplegic, they’re hardly going to balk at someone who’s ace.”

“So, here’s my dying wish to you: go for it; God knows you deserve every happiness. You’ve given so much to me over the last few months, shouldered so much of my emotional burden; it’s thanks to you that I was able to be more in the moment with my girlfriends and parents. That’s a debt which I can never repay. All I can do is try and push you in the direction of something that I hope will bring you joy and love. I want that for you, and for them. Please think about it.”

“I love you, Kate, and goodbye.” Chloe leaned her head forward, and the video cut out. I just sat there for a few minutes, tears streaming down my face, before finally grabbing a tissue and drying them away. I thought about Chloe’s final request; she was right about my crush, of course, but I wasn’t sure about the rest – certainly not right then.

It was a few weeks later, on a Saturday morning – _late_ on a Saturday morning – that I knocked on Victoria’s door. It took a little while before she appeared, clad in her skimpy silk robe. “Hi, Kate,” she said, her annoyed expression immediately replace with a smile, “come on in.”

“Uh, thanks,” I said, trying to keep my eyes above her neckline as she ushered me into the room. Max was still in bed, comforter tucked up under her armpits, her shoulders bare.

“Hey, Kate,” she said as I perched on the couch, and Victoria went over to lounge next to her. “Sorry you couldn’t join us last night.” They’d invited me to go clubbing with them.

“Not really my kind of music,” I said, wrinkling my nose.

“Wasn’t mine, either,” Max replied, “but it’s still fun to dance to, and… I needed to let myself go.”

“Well, I’m glad that you went. Chloe would have wanted you to be out enjoying your life.”

I watched the emotions warring on my friend’s face before she settled on a smile. “Yeah, she would. She really would.”

“She would have wanted that for you, too, Kate.” Victoria added, softly, and Max nodded.

“I know, and I guess that’s… that’s why I’m here.” Now that the moment had arrived, I was almost vibrating with nervous anxiety.

“Go on,” said Max, her voice full of warmth and encouragement.

Even so, I sat there frozen for a few moments, until I heard the echo of Chloe’s voice in the back of my head. _Yes, go for it!_

“I was wondering if maybe I could take the two of you out for dinner some time,” I said, in something of a rush.

“Like, a date?” Victoria asked. I tried to read her expression and tone of voice. It wasn’t surprise, or curiosity, or distaste, or any of the other emotions that I’d been dreading. It was simply a request for confirmation that her assumption was correct. The fact that she’d jumped straight to that interpretation was just the reassurance I needed to put on my best smile, banish the uncertainty from my voice, and answer.

“Yes, exactly like a date.”


End file.
